The ICCB was created by the General Assembly under the provisions of the Illinois Public Junior College Act of 1965. Its primary responsibilities are to coordinate the educational programs offered through the community college system, to allocate state funding for capital expansion, and to act on curriculum changes proposed by individual community colleges.

JJC is directly governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees, all of whom are elected from within the district for six-year terms. A student representative, appointed annually, is a non-voting member of the Board. The officers of the Board are chairman, vice chairman and secretary, all of whom are elected by their peers for a one-year term.

Public Act 99-0692 requires that every voting board member elected or appointed after January 1, 2017 "shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training covering topics that shall include, but are not limited to, open meetings law, community college and labor law, freedom of information law, contract law, ethics, sexual violence on campus, financial oversight and accountability, audits, and fiduciary responsibilities of a community college trustee during the first, third, and fifth year of his or her term." (110 ILCS 805/3-8.5)

The following Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees members were elected or reelected in April 2017 and have completed the required training:

The J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award (ESA) is the highest award bestowed by Joliet Junior College (JJC).

In 1975, JJC began honoring community members with the Distinguished Service Award to recognize individuals for their volunteerism and service to the district. In 2004, the award was renamed the J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award honoring past President Ross for his distinguished public service to the community.

Please note: Nominations for the 2019 J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award are due to the Communications & External Relations Office hand-delivered or postmarked on Friday, October 25, 2019 by 5 p.m.

Dave Holmes and Lynne Lichtenauer were the recipients of the 2018 J.D. Ross Extraordinary Service Award.